High school baseball: Open Door pulls away for win against Medina Christian

ELYRIA — The Medina Christian Academy baseball team may not have gotten the win, but the Knights are starting to see progress. Open Door Christian plated six runs in the first two innings. While Medina Christian cut the deficit to two, the Patriots pulled away for a 12-4 Lake Effect Conference win Saturday afternoon. "Honestly. this is a team that's kicked the crap out of us the last two years," Medina Christian coach Jack Seiple said. "So for us to go toe-to-toe with them for four innings says a lot about us. We've been working hard all offseason. We've been dying to get outside and start playing, and I'm really proud of them for staying with this team." The Knights (1-1, 0-1) struggled to find their groove at the plate for the first three innings, as Patriots starter Evan Reed struck out seven of the first eight batters, though Adam Collier reached on a third strike wild pitch that broke up a perfect game in the third and came around to score. Reed finished with 10 strikeouts, but Medina Christian got to him in the fourth inning when Caden Dyer recorded the Knights' only hit, leading off with a single to right field. Back-to-back errors by the Patriots gave the Knights bases loaded with nobody out. Collier delivered an RBI fielder's choice. A balk and a wild pitch scored two more as the Knights cut the deficit to 6-4. "I think I was down in the count, so I was just looking to put the ball in play," Dyer said. "I saw my pitch and put a good swing on it. "I think we're a good team, we're still young, so we're just looking to build from this." Dyer also started for the Knights, striking out six and allowing eight runs (6 earned) on five hits and three walks. Open Door (2-1, 1-0) was led offensively by senior Tyler Reaser, who went 3-for-4 with three doubles, three runs, three RBIs and three steals. Jacob Godby also had a strong day, going 3-for-3 with three RBIs, a double and a run. The Patriots responded with a three-run fourth. Reed roped a single past short, and Reaser drove him in with his second double. Comer and Nikkos Poulos added RBIs, with Poulos' coming on a beautiful bases-loaded bunt down the third-base line with two outs. The Patriots added three more in the fifth, with Reed and Reaser once again getting things started, this time a walk and a double. "We had a pretty good day today at the plate as a team," Reaser said. "It turned out to be a nice day out and everybody just turned out to play. When you've got some energy going and guys are putting the ball in play, it's way easier to play because you're not worried about anything. You're just out there playing ball." Contact Chris Sweeney at sports@medina-gazette.com. Follow him @CSweeney1686 on Twitter. Open Door Christian 12, Medina Christian Academy 4 MEDINA CHRISTIAN&emsp;001 300 0 — 4 1 3 OPEN DOOR&emsp;420 330 x — 12 9 2 WP — Evan Reed 4 innings, 4 runs, 2 earned, hit, 2 walks, 10 strikeouts. LP — Caden Dyer (0-1) 3 1/3 innings, 8 runs, 6 earned, 8 hits, 3 walks, 2 hit batters, 6 strikeouts. Medina Christian Academy (1-1, 0-1). Open Door Christian — Tyler Reaser 3 doubles, 3 RBIs, 3 runs; Jacob Godby 2 singles, double, 3 RBIs, run; Reed single, 3 runs.